听美文故事记6级单词05-03

3.Fengzheng

Fengzheng is a kind of folk toy as well as a handicraft. It is made from slender slips of bamboo as the frame with thin paper plastered and a long thread to fly with. It flies into the sky with wind.

　 However, fengzheng in its earliest stage did not look like what we see today, and it was not invented for amusement. It is said that Lu Ban was the inventor, who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 B. C.). Enlightened from the sparrow hawk¹ spiraling in the sky, Lu Ban made one with bamboo and called it "bamboo sparrow", which was said to have remained "flying in the air for three days". This was actually the earliest fengzheng. 　　

When paper was invented, It replaced bamboo to make a lighter² fengzheng, which was named "paper bird" at that time. According to historical records, emperor Liangwu of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 A. D.)used a Fengzheng to send his message for help when he was besieged³ in a city.

In the Song Dynasty(960-1270AD),people loaded gunpowder⁴ on Fengzheng.To assault the enemy is by tying a piece of kindling⁵ insence on the fuse and flying it into the sky above the enemy camp, where it exploded and caused chaos⁶. Then they took the advantage to launch an attack and defeat the enemy.It is thus evident that Fengzheng was originally made for military use.It was from the Tang Dynasty on(618-907AD) that Fengzheng gradually became a toy for entertainment. But at that time,this entertainment was limited to the children of no ability and the rich.

Getting bored with the silent Fengzheng,they tied a bamboo whistle on it.When they flew Fengzheng in the air,the wind blew the whistle and made a sound much like that produced by Zheng, an ancient musical instrument,which was very pleasant to the ear. People then vividly⁷ named it Fengzheng---Wind Musical Instrument.Only after the Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127AD), was the paper Fengzheng increasingly made.And from then on, it turned from the entertainment for the rich into a popular one among the ordinary people.
 

1 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

2 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

3 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

4 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

5 kindling   

n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There were neat piles of kindling wood against the wall. 墙边整齐地放着几堆引火柴。
• "Coal and kindling all in the shed in the backyard." “煤，劈柴，都在后院小屋里。” 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

6 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

7 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。